Smitten (10 page)
Mia carried two lavender wreaths in her hand. “We came to bring you a wreath,” she said, holding them up for his inspection.
“Very nice,” he said. “Let me get a wreath hanger and we’ll put it up.”
Natalie’s expression warmed. “I wasn’t sure if you were ready for one or not.”
“After seeing my cabins being wrecked and rebuilt, you should know I’m ready.”
He left them on the sidewalk while he fetched what he needed to hang the wreath. Conscious of Natalie’s gaze on him, he attached the hanger to the door, then took the wreath and positioned it.
“Perfect,” he said, stepping back. “Go inside and tell Candy to give you a sucker, honey.”
“Cherry ones?” Mia asked.
“You bet. Take two.” He opened the door for her and caught another whiff of the lavender.
Rose Garner came toward him. Her smile brightened when she saw them together. She glanced at Natalie. “I’m glad to see you don’t believe that nonsense circulating through town, Natalie.”
Natalie’s face went pink. “Aunt Rose . . .”
“Now, honey, we both know Lisa. It’s not being disloyal to speak the truth. I’m glad you finally have seen through your sister.” She stared at Carson. “You be good to my niece, Carson Smitten. And I’ll be glad to welcome you into the family.”
Now it was his turn for his face to flame. He didn’t know what to say. “Uh, thanks, Ms. Garner.”
She patted his cheek. “Glad to see you have a wreath on that door of yours.”
“Thanks to Mia, of course.”
“I think I’ll take Mia for ice cream, if you don’t mind, Natalie,” Rose said. “Is she around?”
“That’s fine.” Natalie barely mumbled the words. “She’s inside.”
“I’ll bring her back later.” Rose headed for the door.
No way did he want to discuss their relationship with Natalie. Not now. “Sawyer called yesterday,” he said. “He was excited about the song idea. He’ll see what he can do. They were working on the guest list. So far it’s at five hundred people.”
She clapped her hands. “Yay! This is going to be big, Carson. Which means maybe two hundred and fifty people will show up. You can usually assume half of your guest list won’t be able to make it, especially for a destination wedding.”
She pursed her lips. “Though that statistic may not hold true for a celebrity wedding.”
“He told me to count on about three hundred. The most my cabins would hold is a forty-eight, if we stuffed people in four to a cabin. And people won’t be willing to do that unless entire families are coming.”
“So we have a problem,” she said.
He liked the way she said
we
. “Any ideas?”
She chewed on her lip and looked up and down the street.
“We need some kind of hotel.”
“But could it even be built in time?”
“Probably not.”
“I have an idea,” he said slowly, the seed taking root. “I have some acreage south of town. Uncle Howard wanted to do all he could to get this off the ground. I could ask him if he’d be willing to help me build a larger lodge there. Since I already own the land, things could proceed much faster.”
“A large enough lodge is going to be expensive. Can he afford that?”
He shrugged. “I can only ask.”
“It will mean losing control over your property and taking on your uncle as a partner. Are you prepared to do that?”
She seemed to really care how he felt. The realization warmed him. “I’m finding I’d do just about anything for you,” he said.
A flush stained her cheeks, but she didn’t look away. “I’ll help all I can.”
“I’ll need it. This is a much bigger project than cabin remodels.”
She chewed on her lip. “My brother is an architect. He’s done big hotels for major chains. I could ask him if he’d do some freelance work.”
“You’re kidding. That’s thousands of dollars.”
“I think he’d be willing to help. We could give him some free advertising by telling the media he designed the lodge. I think he’d do it for a song.”
He held her gaze. “You’re a good woman, Natalie Mansfield.
When you believe in something, you are all in, aren’t you?”
“Isn’t everyone?”
He shook his head. “Too many people quit when the going gets tough. You just get more determined.”
Her blush heightened. “Some would call that hardheaded. Or stubborn.”
“I’ll tell you a secret. You’re the reason I believe this will work. You could sell refrigerators to the Eskimos.”
She smiled. “I think I’ve heard that before, only it’s been said with less respect.”
“That might be why we’ve butted heads now and then in the past—you’re not one to sit back and take orders. You like to make things happen.”
“Guilty as charged,” she said. “There is nothing that irritates me more than whiny quitters.”
“I hope I’m never one of those,” he said, grinning down at her.
“People look up to you,” she said. “I’ve always respected you and known you put careful thought into your decisions.”
“Even though you didn’t always agree.”
“Even though I
often
didn’t want to agree.” She diffused the words with a smile. “I didn’t like admitting you were right. It’s a character flaw I have to work on. Among many.”
“I don’t see any flaws,” he said softly.
The connection between them broke when he was summoned inside to help a customer. Natalie went to the park, where she took out her phone and called her brother, Paul.
When she explained what she needed, he was quick to offer to help.
“Can it be built in time?” she asked.
“If we get right on it,” he said. “It’s not like it’s a mega-hotel. Average time to build a hotel is about a year, but many have been built in a much shorter time. Heck, the Ark Hotel in China took only two days!”
“I doubt we have that kind of labor,” she said, smiling at her brother’s optimism.
“So it’s going to be a romance capital,” Paul said, a smile in his voice. “And the avowed spinster is spearheading the project. Rather ironic, don’t you think?”
Spinster
. She winced at the ugly word. “I’ve never been against marriage.”
“No, you’re just afraid of making a mistake like Mom and Lisa.”
“You’re hardly a poster child for commitment,” she said.
“You never know,” he said. “Even this old dog could change his spots. You could too if you learned to trust a little.”
“Well, back to the hotel,” she said. “Let me give you Carson’s number. You can discuss with him what he wants.”
Was that what she was doing with Carson? Learning to trust?
M
ia already had dinner, Nat,” Julia said. She was dressed in expensive jeans and zebra shoes that matched her top.
After a visit with Julia, Mia would spend hours trying on her clothes and wanting different things done to her hair. Today Natalie had been talking to Brian about legal custody, so she had needed after-school care for Mia, and Julia was quick to come to the rescue.
Natalie hung her light jacket on the hook by the door. “Where is she now?”
“In her bedroom. I want to say good-bye before I leave.”
She paused. “You still need me on Friday, right?”
“Yes, if you’re free.”
Mia came running down the hall and hugged Natalie.
“I’m always free for Mia.” Julia held out her arms to hug Mia good-bye, then went out the door.
Natalie steered Mia toward the kitchen. “Did you leave me anything to eat?”
Mia nodded. “I didn’t eat all the chicken. It’s still warm.”
“What a good kid.” Natalie put the last of the grilled chicken on a plate, then joined Mia in the living room. The thought of talking to Mia about Carson made the idea of food unappealing. She wanted to protect the child all her life, but she knew hard truths had a way of coming out. And pain molded character.
Natalie settled on the sofa with one leg folded under her.
Sunlight still streamed through the picture window. “Did you have a good day at school?” she asked.
Mia nodded. “Mandy’s mommy brought in cupcakes for her birthday.” She sat down on the sofa and leaned against Natalie. “Can I call you Mommy, Aunt Nat? I don’t think my mommy is ever coming back.”
Natalie had been about to take a bite of chicken. She lowered her fork and embraced Mia. Brian had been very confident, but what if he was wrong? She hated to get Mia’s hopes up. She’d hoped to be ready to spill the news on her birthday, but it didn’t look like it was going to happen that quickly. “I’m your mommy in every way that counts,” she said.
“To me you are my Mia and no one else’s.” She smoothed Mia’s curls.
Mia buried her face against Natalie’s side. “I don’t have a mommy
or
a daddy,” she murmured.
“I’m going to make you my own little girl,” Natalie said, her throat tight. “I’ve asked a judge to let you be my daughter.”
“Truly?” Mia’s face lit. “Forever and ever?”
Natalie hugged the little girl to her, and Mia gripped her with a fervency that touched her. “Forever and ever.”
“I love you, Aunt Nat.” After a final squeeze, Mia let go.
“Do you know who my daddy is?”
Natalie’s hand froze on top of Mia’s hair. What should she say? She looked into Mia’s innocent eyes. “I don’t know, honey.” She wished she could say with firm assurance that Carson wasn’t Mia’s father.
The hope in Mia’s eyes dimmed. “Mandy at school said it was Mr. Carson, but I didn’t believe it,” Mia said. “He would have come to see me if he were my daddy. I asked him to the tea. Do you think he’ll come?”
“I think he’d like to, but it might make people think badly of him.”
Mia frowned. “I don’t want people to talk mean about him.”
A shadow moved past the window. Natalie saw Carson walking toward the front door, then the doorbell rang. The surge of pleasure she felt at his appearance shocked her. Was she as easily influenced as her mother? As Lisa?
Mia slid from the sofa. “It’s Mr. Carson! I’ll get it.” She ran to the foyer, and Natalie followed. “Come on in,” she told Carson.
Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. He wore jeans and a red shirt that made him look incredibly handsome.
She’d never noticed how thick his hair was, how long his lashes were.
“Hope I’m not intruding,” he said.
“Not at all. We’re glad to see you.” She led him to the living room, then pointed to the sofa. “Have a seat.”
He settled on the sofa and lifted Mia to his lap. “I came by to tell Mia I’d be honored to attend the fathers’ tea.”
Mia smiled, then her grin vanished. “Aunt Natalie told me that it might make people say mean things about you. I don’t want you to come if that’s what will happen.”
His eyes widened, and he glanced at Natalie. “A friend told her the rumor,” she mouthed.
His eyes held a shadow. “I don’t care what people say, honey. I’d rather make you happy than worry about wagging tongues.”
Mia’s smile returned full force. “Pinky swear, Mr.
Carson?”
She held up her pinky finger, and he linked his with hers.
“Pinky swear,” he said, his face serious. He glanced at Natalie.
“I did a lot of thinking today. Some things are too important to take the easy way out.”
Could he possibly be all he seemed? Where were Natalie’s faith and trust? Maybe his accusation at the cabin was right.
“I’ll do what I can to head off the rumors,” she said.
He went still. “Now that I’ve met this munchkin, I kind of wish the rumors were true.”
Mia threw her arms around his neck and planted a kiss on his cheek. “I love you, Mr. Carson.”
His eyes misted as he hugged her. “I’d walk on hot coals to hear that.”
As Natalie watched them, she allowed herself to wonder what it would be like for the three of them to be a family. She shook off the ridiculous notion.
